Art of treating vegetable and mineral matter by heat.



A. G. WATBRHOUSE 8: J. H. VAN MATER.

AI MATTER BY HEM APPLICATION FILED Auubm ms.

ART OF TREATING VEGETABLE AND MINER Patents-1d Au 4,

3% fix-n M11 .lSJDIDIEiO G. WATERHOUSE,

QF LEONARDO, AND JOHN H. VAN MATEB, OF ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NEW JERSEY.

A31 OF VEGETABLE AND MINERAL MATTER BY HEAT. M

Specification of Letters Iatent.

" Patented Aug. 4, 1914:-

Application filed August 13, 1913. Serial No. 784,571.

To 071 whom it may concern:

llc it known that we, AnnIsoN G. Warnenonsn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leonardo, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, and JOHN H. VAN Mari-1n, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic Highlands, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Im n'ovements in the Art of 'lreating Vegetable and Mineral Matter by Heat, of which the following is a specification.

()ur invention comprises new and useful improvements in the art of baking, firing and annealing brick, potter mineral ores and other material; and has for its object the conservation of heat and consequent economy of fuel, and the turther object of heatingand cooling or annealing the material being treated by a single'operation and a continuous process.

Our invention prin'iarily consists of an elevated closed tunnel kiln, insulated to prevent its heat from being lost through radiation or conduction.

It iiurther consists of means for transfer ring the heat from the material after being raised to its highest temperature to other material before it is raised to its highest or inishing ten'lperatnre.

The means for carrying out our invention comprise a closed elevated tunnel from which air or gas within the tunnel is sealed from the outer atmospheric air with an exteriial mechanism "for carrying different bodies of the material being treated through the tunnel in opposite directions while they continue thermally contiguous to each other, and means for applying heat to the material being treated while approximately mid-way on its course through the tunnel.

The foregoing is set forth in the following specil'ca'tion and pointed out in the claims, the accompanying drawings being a part thereof, in which;

Figure 1, shows a plan of an apparatus embodying our invention; Fig. 9, is an enlarged cross-section of Fig. 1, taken at dotted line Y; Fig. 3, is an enlarged cross-section of Fig. 1, taken at dotted line Y; Fig. 4, shows a side elevation of a part of a ing truck.

Fig. 1, shows a plan of an apparatus comprising an elevated tunnel 'l, T, with a furnace ll, through which the tunnel extends carryand by which heat can be applied to the material to be treated while it is being carried through the tunnel. Under the tunnel or upon a lower plane are two arallel tramways, one consisting of the rail U, and a series of rollers U, and the other of the rail V, and the series of rollers V; upon these tram-ways carrier trucks are made to run in opposite directions and curry material to be treated through the tunnel while hcatis applied to it while passin through the part otthe tunnel formed b t 1e furnace H. In this form the tunnel '1 T, is sup used to be of considerable length with an e on 'atcdfurnace H, placed approximately mi -way to its len 'th and so as to constitute part of the tunnel after heat is applied to the furnace, 1f two tracks or two separate trains treated through the tunnel and-furnace in opposite directions it advances toward the furnace will be gradually heated by the hot material moving from the furnace, or so that from first to last the cold material after enterin the tunnel toward the furnace will llbfmli the heat from other material passing from the furnace and thus be preheated and then finally heated in the furnace, after which it in turn will be cooled oil by giving up its heat to other material moving in the opposite direction; whereby the heat supplied is conserved and used over and over again by causing the heat so plied to the materialto he returned to the fiirnnce by other material and causin all the material to leave the tunnel in a out as cold a condition as it was in when it entered, hence there is no heat carried away. X, represents a tram-way turn table or any means by which tracks may be shifted from one track to the other and be returned through the tunnel.-

,Fig. 2, shows an enlarged cross-sectional elevation of the tunnel T, taken atdotted line Y, of Fig. 1, and consisting of a mctulroof I, supported by the frame J;' plate 1, are secured side plates P, P, and to these are secured floor lates P31", and hanging plates P", I, aii ofwhich form a square tunnel T, which is lined with a thick body of fire proof cement or brick P, which serves as a heat insulator. The floor of. this tunnel formed by plates P", P, is provided with a narrow open gap formed between the so that such material as" and to this hanging plates P l?-,which extend dowri to form a gap deep enough for preventing the heated air or .gas within the tunnel T, from comingling with the cold air beneath, owing tothe lighter or ex anded state of the one and the heavier condition of. the other. The

- side plates P, Ptaue'also shown extended down to aid in preventing the circulation and cominglin'g of the. heated gas in. the tunm .nel with the outer atmospheric air. To com- 'pletely cenfine the heated air or gas within ,the tunnel I, a; body ofwater is used extend- ;'ing the whelelength of the tunnel, the surface of which" wateris represented by the dotted line 2 and under 'Which the hanglng plates P I extend, so that this water willcompletely seal .the interior of the tunnel T, from the surrounding air and still leave a 4 gap or under passage through which me- 2 chanicalcommunication can be maintained between the carrying, trucks beneath the tunnel and their} load of material within the same. Beneath the level of the tunnel. on what may be the ground floor are shown 5 the two parallel tramwvays, one; composed of rail U, and thc'set of rollers U7, and the other of the railCV, and :set of rollers ,V'. 011 these'tr'am-w'ays are shown trucks representing the two trains of carriers referred to in connection with Fig. 1, and wh'ch are adapted for carrying different bodies of the material to be treated" through the tunnel n o posite directions at the same time. Each oi these carriers consists ofyawerticalplate.

I 1, made, to move on their respective-set of rollers' U, andV' which plates.1','1, have saddles 2',- 2, vupon whichithe material to be treated-is placed or held so as to.c nly occu1i1y the space shown within the dashed 11111681301- 40 dering the inner space'L,-L, "ofithetunnel T.

The lates 1,1, are held vertical by means of the oif-set floors 3, 3, and their grooved wheels 4,,'4c',-whi'ch run on their. respective railsU, and V; the plates 5,5, connected to the off-set floors 3, 3, are for preventing the circulation of air. .The tramways and lower parts of these trucks are shownaunder. the surface ofthe" water represented by the dotted line W, the effect of which is that the water not only seals the 'apjleading-into the tunnel T, but it also, eepsf'the lower parts of the trucks cool. Fig. 3, shows anenlarged cross-sectional elevation of the furnace H, taken at the" dotted line Y", of Fig. 1; in which is shown'the upper plateP, also the floor plates P ',-=I. and their hangingfplates P, P, between which is formed the gap leading from the tunnel T, all of which'aresupported by'the 'outerwalls'fHf, H, ofthe .i'urnace, andbetween which wallsthesealing water W, is" confined so that its surface willfbeabove the lower edges of the'platesli, 1 and seal the gap leading; to the tunnelylf. 'Abovegghe floor plates P3P are placed the combustmii gas from the outer atmospheric air.

nally driv en in.echani smf 'rcacl1ing"through the Water and the passage lllil'O tilQ/il-liflt'jtliithe.heat and gas of combustion to impinge. directly on the material being treated while such heat and gas is on its way to thechimney Hem otherwise. In this Fig. 3, one of theplates ,1, with its carrying saddle 2, is shown supported by its tram-way V, V, as described; while the other plate 1, with its carrying saddle-2, is supported by a float W adapted nfor being propelled through the water whileearrying the material being treated through the tunnel T; which shows that the tram-waysczin bee-dispensed with, while the water can be:used in their place not only for carryingthe 1naterial'th1.' 'mgh' the tunnel but for sealing its heated air 4, shows aside elevationiof 'one 'of the carr ers, showing its vertical plate 1, and I saddle ,2, resting .on the rollers V. and'its I off-set floor withanupright p-la'te'5, support ed by one of its, wheels- 45, resting"on tlic railVL,

It isobvious that the apparatus shown can be made of any irregular or curved form, instead of straightasshown, without departv ing from the spirit, ofrour-invention; and that the length of both tunnel'and furnace can be such, as. maybe requ'ired for both heating and cooling the material carried through it, such heat being regulated by the intensity at which it is applied and the speed 2 at which the material is"carried through the ;furnace,-, both of which may" be controlled automatically ;or otherwise.

'The'transfer of heat from one body ,of i "the material being treated is efi'ected in part by the direct radiation and'f'conductionof 1.106..

heat between thctwo bodiesdwin'gtotheir' being I kept thermally contiguous; and ,in

part by the radiation and conduction of rth e, heat fromthe materialwhiclr has passe 3-,

through the furnace. to the walls'on'body ot 110,

the tunnel and from such t'othe coolermatev rial on 1ts way to the furnace; The moves ment of the: carriers through the tumielf,

whether'in the form of trucks or floats. c'an be efi'ected'by causingeachcarrierto pull or t pushanothen'fmm "some' initial gourm t. propulsioni, m w 7 What we claim asour'mvehtion'isz. M U

A tunnel kiln for burning brick and other products, consisting of an insulatedi lzoj "conduit elev-ated above its-foundation.th bef,,

isolated therefrom and having an'11hder-.,: passagethroughout its length 'formed be-T tween ,twioghangingpartitions extending downward from the anterior of the elevated conduit into a body of water; with an oxier;

of thefc ondu it .t'omzal'ry h1g5 inateri'a l"'th m I Igh the sa mo, and a furnace adapted for heating through the oonduit.

' phere; erated carrying conduit 2. A tunnel kiln for burning, brick and other products, consisting of an insulating heldobove its foundation by external isolated supports, and having anundurpassage formed between two partitions extending from the interior of the insulated conduit into a body of water used for sealing the interior of the conduit and'lhat 6f the under passage from the surrounding atmosin combination with externally 0pmeans adapted for supporting and t'o separate bodies of matcrial' through the conduit in opposite directions at the same time, While causing themto be brought in thermal communication so that ,or indirectly to the other, with means for applyin heat to both bodies of such materml whi 0 being carried through the conduit.

3. In a tunnel kiln for burning brick and other roducts, an insulated conduit elevated above its foundation'to be isolated therefrom and having an under-passage throughout its 26 length formed between two hanging Patti tions suspended from the elevated conduit and extending downward therefrom into a. body of water, used for sealing the interior of the passage and that of the elevated con- 80 duit from the outer atmos here.

. ADDISON G. W TERHOUSE. JOHN H. VAN MATER. Witnesses:

J OHN L. SWEENEY,

the heat of one will be transferred directly WILLIAM Summons. 

